Chapter 8. Survival (3)

Sword Demon Baek Seo-yun.

Among the protagonists, if Karen was in charge of 'magic',

and Rin was in charge of psychic abilities,

Then Baek Seo-yun was the one in charge of swordsmanship.

'She's the descendant of the current Sword Saint, and also a likely successor.'

Who is the strongest among the Seven Stars?

Although there's room for debate, when people are asked, the person most often named is none other than the Sword Saint, Baek Ji-hwan.

It was only natural that Baek Seo-yun, the descendant of such a Sword Saint, would be skilled with swords.

"Let's go out, there's no point in hiding anymore anyway."

Since we had already been discovered, the original plan to reap the benefits had gone out the window.

There was no reason to hide anymore, so I suggested this, and the other party members agreed with my opinion.

As we came out from our hiding place,

Baek Seo-yun let out a scoffing laugh and said,

"Wow, what's with you guys? Did you plan this before the exam?"

"We were lucky."

"Each team member is a crazy bastard."

Baek Seo-yun ran her hand through her hair as if she really couldn't believe it.

I thought so too.

Honestly, with team members like this, it's a level of strength that most people would find unreasonable.

'But maybe thanks to that.'

She didn't rush at us first.

If I had to name one of the most representative traits of Baek Seo-yun's personality, it would be that she's absolutely a 'battle maniac'.

A personality that loves fighting and wants to live immersed in duels.

That's why I thought she might rush at us first.

But maybe because of the level of our party members, she didn't.

Even for her, it would be too much to rush in and fight here.

"So you guys came to take this stronghold too?"

"Of course. That's what the test is about, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I've already claimed this stronghold."

At her words, the students who had originally occupied the stronghold trembled but couldn't object.

They probably knew that Baek Seo-yun could capture the stronghold if she wanted to.

"Well, whether it's occupation or whatever, in the end, it belongs to the one who wins the fight."

As I said this and drew my sword, the other party members waiting behind also drew their weapons.

Rin took out her ritual tools, Karen her magic book, and Yoon Kang-woo his sword and shield.

As everyone drew their weapons and looked ready to fight at any moment,

"Hey."

Baek Seo-yun pointed at me with her finger and opened her mouth.

"Fight me one-on-one."

At the same time, her skill activated.

[Baek Seo-yun requests a 1-on-1 duel with you.]

[Skill, 'Arena of Duel' is activated.]

Along with the brief message, a thick red barrier instantly covered the surroundings.

As if the space had completely moved, only she and I were in this red place.

[Due to the effect of 'Arena of Duel', the skill's effects are revealed.]

+++

*This is Baek Seo-yun's skill.

Skill: Arena of Duel

Level: 3

Description: Moves the activator and the target to a unique separate space.

Outside interference becomes impossible.

The activator temporarily absorbs some of the target's abilities.

The skill continues until one side acknowledges defeat.

Cooldown: 24 hours

However, for fairness, the skill's information is revealed to the target.

+++

'She chose me.'

[Arena of Duel], which could be called Baek Seo-yun's signature skill.

Simply put, it's a skill that deploys a separate space and takes the designated target and herself to a different location.

A skill solely for one-on-one duels.

As long as you're in this place, no one from the outside can interfere.

Maybe if someone at the level of the Seven Stars used it, it might be different.

But there's no one like that here.

[Some of your abilities are absorbed by the activator Baek Seo-yun.]

And with that, a subtle feeling of weakness spread throughout my body.

The skill's level was still low, so the difference wasn't too big.

But as described in the skill description, some of my abilities had been absorbed by her.

"Did you use the skill because you're scared?"

"Scared? Let's call it a rational choice, shall we?"

To be honest, it was an extremely rational choice.

Even for the Sword Demon, it would be difficult to fight 1 vs 4 against those crazy protagonist party members.

For her, this was the best choice.

"And I wanted to fight you too."

"Me?"

"You're a shaman, right? I've never fought a shaman before. And you look strong."

She says I look strong.

Honestly, if we're talking about individual combat power, I'd probably be the lowest among those four.

'More importantly, I need to do something about the absorbed abilities first.'

Anyway, I've been dragged here.

And since I'm here, I needed to prepare.

First of all, Baek Seo-yun is originally stronger than me.

It was natural since she was one of the top two in the academy along with Karen, not just in our year.

And if my abilities are taken away, that difference will become even greater.

So I had to somehow make up for this difference in abilities.

Fortunately, I had a way to do that.

"What divides is flesh and soul. What cuts off is the flow."

"Hmm...?"

Baek Seo-yun seemed to notice that I was trying to do something.

But it looked like she wasn't going to stop me, probably because it seemed interesting.

Good news for me.

Thinking that, I slightly cut my thumb and smeared the blood on my forehead.

[Skill, 'Shamanism Lv.2' is activated.]

[The shamanic technique, 'Suppression Formula' blocks interference directed at you.]

[Most interference is blocked.]

With that skill window, the feeling of weakness that had enveloped my body disappeared and vigor returned.

As I said earlier, Baek Seo-yun's 'Arena of Duel' proficiency wasn't very high yet.

That's why it could be blocked even with level 2 shamanism.

"Oh... is that shamanism? Looks interesting."

And here, I was planning to use one more skill.

'This time, not possession, but summoning.'

Perhaps the most basic use of a familiar spirit.

I was finally going to use this.

"Familiar spirit Hwa-ryeon, manifest at my call."

"Yes, I have come here at your call, my lord."

[Familiar spirit, 'Hwa-ryeon' materializes.]

At my call, Hwa-ryeon manifested from her ghost state into a physical form.

Along with that, a considerable amount of shamanic power was consumed.

But in this situation, it was the best method.

'I have no chance in pure close combat.'

Fighting the Sword Demon in close combat?

That's just insane.

That's why the second-best option I chose was 2 vs 1 with the assistance of a familiar spirit.

This was the biggest advantage I could have to win here.

"Hwa-ryeon, assist me with fox fire. But don't get too close."

"I can finally fight by your side, my lord! I'll do my best."

Now the preparations were complete.

As I thought this and pointed my sword at Baek Seo-yun,

she smiled brightly and drew the two swords at her waist.

"Good. Are you ready? Shall we fight now?"

One was a gloomy sword with a black blade.

The other was a bright sword with a brilliant light.

They were Baek Seo-yun's main weapons, named Ghost Dragon Sword and Phantom Dragon Sword respectively.

"Let's go right away!"

Saying that, she finally turned the oni mask attached to the side of her head to cover her eyes.

Along with that, a blue demon fire came into view.

It's the oni mask that only she, a half-oni, could use.

'Stay calm.'

With her physical abilities enhanced by the oni mask, she rushed at me at high speed.

Two swords were swung at me simultaneously.

One aimed for my neck, the other for my waist.

'That's brutal.'

It was an incredibly bold sword strike, perhaps trusting in the barrier despite this being a test.

And what I needed to do here was to deflect the Phantom Dragon Sword swinging towards my waist.

The rest...

I trusted Hwa-ryeon, who was assisting me from behind.

The familiar spirit and its master can share thoughts to some extent.

Clang-!

I deflected the sword fiercely aiming for my waist.

My hand tingled, probably due to the powerful physical abilities granted by the oni mask.

But thanks to recklessly pouring in shamanic power, it wasn't something I couldn't deflect.

And the sword flying towards my neck...

Whoosh-!

Fox fire shot by Hwa-ryeon from behind.

Thanks to the gap created by that, I ducked my head and quickly retreated.

'Thanks to the Exorcism Swordsmanship, I can tell where to swing.'

'Exorcism Swordsmanship', the only attack skill I possessed.

Of course, this too was more of a passive skill with ghost specialization, so it didn't have much power against humans.

But even this was enough.

"Didn't you say you were a shaman? Your swordsmanship is quite good too?"

"These days, having multiple jobs is the trend."

Baek Seo-yun's attacks were extremely fierce.

There are various types of swordsmanship.

Offensive swordsmanship.

Defensive swordsmanship.

And swordsmanship that appropriately mixes the two.

The swordsmanship she had mastered was the first type.

And among those, it was extremely focused on offense.

'She's fast.'

There was no opening for a counterattack.

They say the best defense is a good offense.

She seemed to embody that philosophy perfectly.

'I'll aim for just one chance.'

Hwa-ryeon would create openings anyway.

I was planning to aim for the small gap that would appear in her defense.

I know myself.

Arrogance is a sin and overconfidence is a punishment.

From the beginning, I knew I could never beat Baek Seo-yun in swordsmanship.

The fact that I was even holding out now was thanks to Hwa-ryeon assisting me from behind.

Then, does that mean I can't beat her?

'No.'

The premise was wrong from the start.

I'm not a swordsman to begin with.

I'm a shaman.

A shaman who sees souls and uses shamanic techniques.

So I intend to fight in the way of a shaman. Swordsmanship is just a supplement.

"Great flames shall envelop the flesh."

With shamanism at just level 2, it's difficult to use various techniques.

But when necessary, you have to do even what seems impossible.

Moreover, since the most efficient way to level up is to break through limits,

I chanted the incantation for the shamanic technique.

"The heat haze under the sun shall wrap around the sword."

[The shamanic technique, 'Phantom Flame' imbues your sword and body.]

[Waiting for a medium for the activation of the shamanic technique.]

No change occurred in my sword.

The technique was not yet complete because there was no medium.

And at that moment, as shamanic power was drawn out in chunks from my body, I felt a great positive energy from behind.

"Jade Flame."

It was Hwa-ryeon's power.

As if she had read my thoughts, she created a huge ball of flame.

And launched it towards Baek Seo-yun.

"This much is nothing!"

After deflecting my sword once, she swung her dual swords to cut through that ball of flame.

It was a clean strike, as if cutting through wood rather than flame.

Bang-!

Along with that, a huge flame erupted.

The flames that filled the surroundings with a massive explosion,

Eventually gathered into my sword as if intended.

[The medium has been satisfied.]

[The shamanic technique, 'Phantom Flame' is activated.]

In an instant, my sword and arms burst into intense red flames.

Shamanic power exploded out as if going berserk.

Red flames and dark shamanic power.

I swung the sword, which was burning like a heat haze due to these, towards Baek Seo-yun.

Whoosh-

Towards Baek Seo-yun, whose vision was still blocked by the flames.

But as expected of the Sword Demon,

"My head is really spinning! Isn't this effect too flashy?"

She emerged through those flames and deflected my attack with the flame-wrapped sword, but

My attack didn't stop.

Because Baek Seo-yun couldn't deflect it?

No.

"That's an illusion."

It's because the sword of mine that she attacked wasn't real to begin with.

[The flames of the shamanic technique 'Phantom Flame' show illusions to the enemy.]

Phantom Flame.

At first glance, it might look like just an amplifier that wraps huge flames around the arms and sword.

But that's not it at all.

In reality, it's an illusion.

It was a kind of mental attack that deceives the opponent with those huge flames.

"I've won."

With those words,

My sword, wrapped in flames, cut Baek Seo-yun.